


One Shot

by Q_Q (Bo0Radley)



Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Awkward Conversations, Crush at First Sight, F/F, Minor Cho Miyeon/Yeh Shuhua
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:02:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29899458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bo0Radley/pseuds/Q_Q
Summary: “Mom?” Mrs. Jeon started talking immediately on the other side and Soyeon patiently listened before answering. “I’m okay. I’m nearby. Listen…” Soyeon’s eyes looked up and saw a pair of smiling eyes looking back at her.Soyeon smiled back. “...I’ll be home in two hours. Something important just came up.”“Yes, I’ll come with you. Yes, I’m sure. I already found what I’m looking for anyway.”
Relationships: Cho Miyeon/Yeh Shuhua, Jeon Soyeon/Song Yuqi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 26





	One Shot

“You’re doing it wrong, Yuqi.”

One of the things that Yuqi hates the most is being told that she can’t do something. To some, it’s a kind of pet peeve that reeks of arrogance. But she disagrees: she just believes that anyone can do anything as long as they put their minds into it.

Yuqi has tried out a lot of things by now. So when Shuhua suggested that they both apply as baristas in the café near the university, she readily agreed.

(She’s also trying to be a supportive friend to Shuhua who has a thing for one of the managers.)

So Yuqi huffed a bit before putting down the milk pitcher with an audible thud. “I know what I’m doing, unnie.”

“You really don’t.” Miyeon, together with Soojin, is one of the managers at the café. An art student with a penchant for singing randomly in the middle of their shift, she is the _only_ person who criticizes Yuqi’s work.

Yuqi sometimes wishes that Miyeon be like Soojin who just nods quietly at her work before moving along. But Soojin is the day manager (to Shuhua’s disappointment because she has morning classes so she had to take the night shift).

And as a supportive friend, Yuqi also took the night shift. But Miyeon, unlike Soojin, is making things unnecessarily difficult for her.

Miyeon padded towards the younger girl, her face set in a slight frown. “You lack finesse.”

“It’s just coffee.”

“There is no such thing as _just_ coffee, Yuqi.” The manager then picked up the pitcher to Yuqi’s annoyance. And with great care and steady hands, she demonstrated how to make a perfect latte art.

Although Miyeon ticks her off sometimes, Yuqi had to admit that the older girl does know what she’s doing. And when a cute, intricate white bear was formed atop the latte foam, she can’t help but ask, “can you teach me how to do that?”

“When you’re ready.” And with a smile and a hum, Miyeon straightened up before glancing at the counter. Yuqi almost rolled her eyes at the twinkle in the older girl’s eyes. “Why not help Shuhua at the counter, instead? She seems to be having a little trouble.”

“Oh, and tell her that it’s almost her break time. She can accompany me to the break room if she wants to.”

_Sure. Accompany._ Yuqi smirked as she gave a mock salute behind the manager’s retreating figure. Miyeon might annoy her sometimes but it amuses her to no end how persistent the older girl is in trying to make Shuhua notice her.

Chuckling under her breath, Yuqi padded towards her friend who is currently having a ‘conversation’ with a customer.

“Americano and espresso is basically the same, sir. Americano is just the diluted version of espresso.”

“No. Americano is the same as black coffee. And unlike Americano, you drink espresso in those tiny cups.”

“If you really think that way then I don’t know what else to tell you, _sir_.”

The squinting man is probably in his forties—the pair of thick glasses atop his pudgy nose is making his already beady eyes look even smaller as he looks Shuhua up and down. He was about to give another counter-argument but the impassive face of the girl in front of him made him think twice. So he just shook his head in condescension while grumbling under his breath about uneducated baristas

And then he ordered a cup of tea.

“Good choice, sir,” Shuhua deadpanned and Yuqi almost guffawed at her friend’s sarcastic tone. After ringing up the man’s order, Shuhua then turned to Yuqi and rolled her eyes.

“That was amazing.”

“That was stupid.” Shuhua sighed and impatiently drummed her fingers atop the counter. “I think I need a break.”

Yuqi nodded and came closer. “I’ll take over for you. It’s almost time for your break anyway.” Shuhua just nodded in reply before padding away.

“Oh, and the manager said you can accompany her at the break room if you want to.”

Shuhua paused before scoffing. “That woman is so persistent,” she grumbled under her breath before walking away. Yuqi just chuckled because despite Shuhua’s grumbling, she still noticed the slight blush on her friend’s cheeks before she walked away in the direction of the break room door.

Positioning herself at the counter, Yuqi took the next customer’s order and nodded slightly at the other trainee who was left alone with her. After a few more orders, she is now left alone at the counter, her finger drumming absentmindedly atop the counter.

After a few minutes, she took a quick glance on her phone to check the time. And when she heard the familiar chime, she looked up and saw a girl with an interesting hair color clad in bear-patterned pants and a sweater that’s too big for her small frame.

Curious, Yuqi’s eyes followed the unfamiliar newcomer as the small girl looked around the café, her expression pensive. And after a few seconds, she saw the small girl nodding to herself before walking towards their most secluded booth.

_She’s cute_ , Yuqi mused before straightening up and casually walking towards the pretty girl.

* * *

Soyeon is not the most visibly reactive person there is. But there are moments in her life where she can’t help but react strongly to things that directly affect her.

And this is one of those moments.

_Click._ “But I don’t want to go.” _Click. Click. Click._

Her mother, who is currently busy helping—help is an overstatement since Soyeon refuses to budge from her position—her pack her suitcase, just glanced at her oldest daughter once before going back to folding Soyeon’s clothes.

“You have to.” Soyeon pouted at her mother’s statement. “It’s a family vacation.”

The swivel chair squeaked a little as Soyeon finally turned away from her laptop to face her mother. “But I have a song I need to finish for a class,” she insisted, already knowing that she can’t argue her way out of it.

“And you’ll be able to finish it once we come back,” Mrs. Jeon stated plainly while putting down a folded shirt and reaching out for another inside Soyeon’s closet.

“Fine.” Soyeon casually jumped from her chair and padded towards her closet to fetch a black bag. “Then I’ll just bring my equipment with me.”

“No, Soyeon.” Soyeon gave a pout and a small whine before looking at her mother who was looking back with a stern but slightly amused expression. “You need to learn how to take a break.”

“Fine.” Soyeon stood still on her spot, thinking hard, before nodding to herself.

“Where are you going?” Mrs. Jeon watched as Soyeon carefully put her recording equipment inside her bag. “It’s almost midnight.”

With her backpack now slung over her back and her recording equipment safely stored in its carry-on bag, Soyeon gave her mom a sheepish smile. “Out. I’ll be right back, I promise.”

With a reluctant nod, Mrs. Jeon went back to packing her oldest daughter’s clothes while said daughter skipped towards the door and into the night.

The university is only a few blocks away from their house. For someone who hates dealing with new people in a new environment, Soyeon is thankful that she was able to live at her parents’ house while studying.

Trudging towards the university, she sighed, disappointed, when she realized that she can’t use the music room at this time of night. Cursing both her luck and her impulsivity, her eyes absentmindedly roamed around the vicinity.

Her disappointment melted a little bit when a small but quaint café caught her attention. _This will do_ , she thought before walking towards the café’s direction. 

Inside, a strong but subtle smell of coffee greeted her with a welcome. Soyeon looked around, internally unsure but the few people scattered around encouraged her to just go for it—she hates busy places with a passion. And when she saw a booth at the far corner of the café, she nodded to herself and realized that she may not be so unlucky after all.

Soyeon plopped down happily at the booth, her mood considerably lifted. She then immediately took out her laptop and set it atop the wooden table, humming a little as she did. She was in the middle of setting up her recording equipment before she paused, unsure again.

_Will this be okay?_ she thought as she subtly looked around the café. Although no other patron is paying attention to her, she has enough sense to know how weird it will look to record in such a public place.

“Cool equipment.”

Soyeon almost jumped in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. Looking up at her right, she saw a girl in a uniform—which she immediately assumed is the uniform worn by the people working in the establishment—who is smiling down at her.

“Excuse me?”

The short-haired girl with a youthful face just pointed at the equipment she was about to put back in her bag. “That’s a recording equipment, right? My friend has something similar to that.”

“Yes.” Her eyes wandering a bit, Soyeon noticed the line at the counter and realized that she needed to do something first. “I should order something first.”

She was about to stand up when the short-haired girl gestured for her to stop. “I’ll just take yours from here,” she offered with a smile.

Soyeon raised a confused eyebrow at that but still nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

After the strange girl took Soyeon’s order, she excused herself and assured Soyeon that she’ll be back in a few minutes with all her orders. But before the other girl walk away, Soyeon stopped her.

“Uhmmm…”

Soyeon likes doing things her own way—whether it be music or doing simple things. So the attention the short-haired girl is giving her is making her fluster enough to stutter a bit.

But the short-haired girl seemed to understand her dilemma. Chuckling a bit, she pointed at her nameplate. “My name is Yuqi.”

“Strange name,” Soyeon said without thinking before her eyes widened slightly—commenting on a stranger’s name is definitely _not_ something anyone should do especially if they’re being helpful.

She was about to apologize when the short-haired girl—Yuqi—just laughed at her thoughtless quip.

“I’m Chinese. My name is pronounced differently in my native language. This is the Korean pronunciation.”

Soyeon, a bit embarrassed, just gave a nod. “Nice to meet you, Yuqi,” she added with a smile.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Yuqi then excused herself again and walked away to get Soyeon’s order. And with that odd exchange done, Soyeon went back to her laptop and decided that she’ll do the mixing and layering for the meantime.

“Here you go.” Distracted, Soyeon glanced up and smiled gratefully at Yuqi who also arranged her orders in a way that won’t bother her work. Still distracted, Soyeon thanked the other girl before a metaphorical light bulb in her head lit up.

Soyeon is usually a very self-aware person—it comes with being an introvert. But when it involves music, there are times where she becomes a bit unaware of social cues and norms.

This is one of those times.

“Yuqi?” The other girl, who was about to walk away, stopped on her tracks and looked back, her expression questioning. “Can I ask you for a favor?”

Yuqi smiled and nodded. “Sure. But just wait a sec.”

And Soyeon waited impatiently, her head buzzing with ideas and thoughts as she observed Yuqi talking to one of her co-workers before walking back—sans apron—to Soyeon’s booth. Now excited, Soyeon immediately patted the seat right next to her as an invitation.

“I need your ear.” Soyeon immediately started when Yuqi finally sat down. “I mean I need someone to listen to my song.”

And when Yuqi nodded in compliance, Soyeon excitedly offered her headphones to the other girl. After giving a thumbs up to Yuqi who gave a nod in return, she immediately hit play.

Both nervous and excited, she stared at Yuqi’s face for any signs of visible reaction. The other girl is quiet, focused, but Soyeon saw subtle nodding here and there and a quick raise of an eyebrow towards the end.

“You did all that?”

Soyeon nodded, a bit nervous. “I have to tweak it a little again and I’ll probably need to add another voice but it’s almost done.”

Soyeon is not the type to want nor need external validation, but she has enough awareness to know that in order to determine if the song is a success, the opinion of a stranger is important.

Criticism is important.

So she waited, her own eyes focused on Yuqi’s own doe eyes, for any reaction.

“It’s amazing.” Soyeon smiled slightly at that. “It really is. I mean, I have a friend who makes songs so she makes me listen to hers once in a while. And yours…” Soyeon stared at Yuqi’s eyes—widened with awe—before she smiled widely at the other girl’s next words:

“I’ve never heard anything like that before.”

One of the things that Soyeon aims to do is to make music that no one has heard before while still making it palatable enough so it can be appreciated by anyone and everyone.

So hearing that, from a stranger nonetheless, is already a big accomplishment for her.

“Thank you,” she said simply, instinctively hiding behind her hands in both embarrassment and delight.

“No, thank _you_.” Yuqi continued to look at her with that awed expression. “That was incredible. You’re incredible.”

Soyeon blushed a little at the overt compliment. Although she’s aware that her song will definitely exceed the expectation of her professors, it’s still nice to hear it from someone else.

Now that Soyeon’s excitement has faded a bit, she finally realized the gravity of her impulsive request. “Thank you, Yuqi. And I’m sorry for taking too much of your time.”

The other girl waved an unconcerned hand. “No biggie,” Yuqi assured. “And I’m honored that you chose me,” she nonchalantly added before excusing herself.

“My name is Soyeon, by the way.” Yuqi glanced back at her, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “Jeon Soyeon.”

“Nice to meet you, Soyeon.” Before Yuqi stood up, she paused, pensive, before turning back to Soyeon with a sheepish smile. “My break is in fifteen minutes. If you’re still here by then… I could be your guinea pig for the next hour.”

When it involves music, Soyeon becomes a bit unaware of social cues and norms. But seeing Yuqi’s hopeful smile and realizing the weight of the other girl’s offer, Soyeon can’t help but blush a little at the not-so-subtle implication.

“That’ll be nice.”

After excusing herself again, Yuqi walked back to the counter and Soyeon’s curious eyes followed. She saw Yuqi striking a conversation with a pretty, pale-skinned girl and she also saw another pretty girl—wearing a different uniform—join in while standing way too close to the pale-skinned girl.

As Yuqi’s co-workers nod along whatever Yuqi is saying, Soyeon rummaged through her pocket and fished out her phone. She fiddled with it, looked up a very familiar number, and then pressed ‘call’.

“Mom?” Mrs. Jeon started talking immediately on the other side and Soyeon patiently listened before answering. “I’m okay. I’m nearby. Listen…” Soyeon’s eyes looked up and saw a pair of smiling eyes looking back at her.

Soyeon smiled back. “...I’ll be home in two hours. Something important just came up.”

“Yes, I’ll come with you. Yes, I’m sure. I already found what I’m looking for anyway.”

* * *

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

>  **A/N:** Not my best but I was inspired to write something like this so *shrugs*.


End file.
